One of the more intriguing verses of Scripture is Luke 2:52 which speaks of Jesus, as a child, growing in wisdom. When He was thirteen He wowed the scholars in Jerusalem with His expansive understanding of Scripture. Yet He lived in a poor village that could not have afforded an entire Old Testament. The scrolls were passed one by one from village to village. Time with each scroll was very limited. He must have had a prodigious memory. When He realized He might not see a particular scroll again for a long time He must have diligently applied Himself to committing it to memory.
Adolescence is a time for figuring out who we are and what are our gifts. When Jesus attended Jerusalem after His Bar Mitzvah, He was faced with the task of understanding His true identity. Filled with stories from Joseph and Mary and His knowledge of Scripture He assembled the pieces. It was an amazing secret to carry about during His teen and early manhood years. He couldn’t speak of it because the ridicule from unbelieving peers and others would have been vicious. The religious experience around Him was encumbered with a layer of rules designed to keep believers from transgressing the core commandments. The conflict with parents, local rabbis, siblings and within Himself had to be monumental as He sorted out the man made traditions from the principles of Scripture.
Hebrews 4 tells us He experienced all our temptations. Those formative years were crucial to who He was. There is not a child, adolescent or adult anywhere He does not understand. The Word became flesh and He experienced everything except old age. We didn’t let Him get there.
Written by Roger Bothwell on January 2, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA, 94574
rogerbothwell.org